Chennai Super Kings (CSK) earned a relaxed, seven-wicket triumph against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 22 of IPL 2024. The contest unfolded at MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 8, Monday.
Regaining momentum after two away losses, Chennai’s win upheld their flawless Chepauk record. With three home victories, they solidified a top-half standings position.
KKR, however, suffered their first loss in the campaign. They are securely positioned on the points standings, however, with three wins from four games.
On that topic, here are three players who shone and two who underperformed in the CSK vs KKR IPL 2024 encounter.
5. Star – Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)
Sir Jadeja went wicketless in initial CSK matches. But he made a comeback, regaining his form while bowling versus KKR. He’d been surprisingly ineffective. However, that wouldn’t last. Sir Ravindra Jadeja, renowned for guile and skill, roared back into the action.
Jadeja hit with his opening ball, trapping Angkrish Raghuvanshi in front when he attempted a reverse sweep. He took another wicket in the same over, Sunil Narine finding long-off, and then dismissed Venkatesh Iyer as well.
Jadeja’s three-fer set the tone for Chennai’s dominant bowling effort, and he was justifiably named Player of the Match.
4. Flop – Rachin Ravindra (CSK)
Rachin Ravindra bowled a clean over and was solid on the field, but he made a poor shot to get removed.
For the third time in a row, the opener tried hitting a fast bowler down the ground from a hard length and holed out. He was caught on the circle the first two times, but he found a perfectly situated long-on fielder.
Ravindra should not have tried the shot because there was a fielder in the deep. Furthermore, he needs to figure out how to better execute that loft after falling prey to it so frequently.
3. Star – Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK)
Ruturaj Gaikwad became the first CSK skipper to reach a half-century during IPL 2018 with his confident innings against KKR.
Gaikwad began slowly again, but stepped on the gas in the last over of the powerplay, putting the Super Kings ahead of the game. He was pleased with turning strike over in the middle overs and was present when the winning runs were scored.
Chennai will want more of these performances from their captain, who may also need to bat with greater determination in the powerplay.
2. Flop – Venkatesh Iyer (KKR)
Venkatesh Iyer’s performance hasn’t matched the Knight Riders’ faith in retaining him before IPL 2022. Inconsistently shuffled around batting positions, the left-hander hasn’t secured a defined role. Consequently, he hasn’t delivered consistent performances.
Venkatesh is a decent spin hitter, but Maheesh Theekshana and Jadeja got him in a lot of difficulty. He didn’t locate the center of his bat once during a grueling eight-ball stint at the crease that yielded only three runs.
Venkatesh pulled a half-hearted pull off Jadeja, leaving his team in further jeopardy. It would be intriguing to see if he keeps his spot in the team once Nitish Rana is well.
1. Star – Tushar Deshpande (CSK)
Tushar Deshpande, a player who has frequently been criticised for his economy rate, deserves to be praised when he performs. He did get his lines and lengths to Sunil Narine incorrect, but he made three crucial breakthroughs for CSK and carried out Dwayne Bravo’s intentions at the death.
Deshpande set the tone by dismissing Phil Salt with the opening ball of the encounter. Later in the piece, he dismissed Rinku Singh and Andre Russell, KKR’s key players at the back end of the innings.
